$2 million donation to fund new college scholarships for Otsego High School students

OTSEGO, MI — Numerous Otsego High School seniors could be getting college scholarships this year through a new scholarship program funded by a $2 million endowment from a former Otsego school parent, Otsego Public Schools officials announced Tuesday.

The money comes from the estate of Emil "Bud" Popke Jr. of Kalamazoo, who died in May at age 86. Popke had a 30-year career in radio broadcasting and owned WYYY-AM when it was Kalamazoo's most popular rock station in the 1970s. His two younger sons, Jeff and Jon, graduated from Otsego High School in the 1980s.

Otsego officials say there will be approximately $65,000 available for scholarships for each of the next three years. Scholarship recipients will receive a minimum of $1,500 and there will be a mix of one-time and renewable awards.

"The number of recipients and scholarship amounts has not been decided," said a press release issued by the district Tuesday. "That may be a yearly decision based on the applications received."

Otsego High School graduates about 170 students a year, and about 40
percent go onto a four-year college and 30 percent enroll in a community
college the fall after graduation, school officials said.

The release said that students will need a grade point average of least 2.75 to qualify for the scholarship program, and financial need will be taken into account in awarding money, the release said.

There is a
five-member committee that will oversee the allocation, which be administered by the Allegan County Community Foundation

"What a gift," Otsego Superintendent Denny Patzer said. "This has the capability not only to make a difference now, but to have a lasting impact.

“This creates a possibility for students who, in the past, may have
thought they would not be eligible or would not qualify for a
scholarship,” he said.

Because it is an endowed scholarship program, the fund will be in existence in perpetuity. After the first three years, scholarships will be dependent on the growth of the fund, which is projected to generate $60,000 to $75,000 each year.

“It really is life-changing,” said Theresa Bray, executive director of the Allegan County Community Foundation, said in the press release. “It takes that financial obstacle away. Students can focus on their studies and keep moving ahead with their dreams and goals and don’t have to worry about whether they’re able to stay in school or not.”

The endowment has been in the works for about six years, the press release said. Popke’s attorney said that Popke and his sister, Ruth, had agreed the inheritance they received from their mother would go toward a scholarship fund. Ruth Popke died several years ago, the release said.

The Popke children grew up in Danbury, Conn. Emil Popke graduated from Dartmouth College in 1949 with a degree in geology and moved to Michigan in 1951 with his first wife, Joan, and their two children, Donna and Bruce.

The Popkes settled in Kalamazoo in 1953 and Popke began a career in radio broadcasting, becoming general manager of WKMI radio station in the early 1960s and buying WYYY in 1963. He also owned the Dutch Treat Bakery, Wayside Lanes bowling alley,
and The Colony Room nightclub, according to his obituary.

In the 1980s, Popke left the radio business, and he and his second wife, Nancy, operated a Superbook coupon franchise for nearly 15 years in more than half a
dozen cities in Michigan and Indiana.

Nancy Popke died in 2007. Of Popke's four children, Donna lives in Sutton's Bay, Bruce in Florida, Jeff in North Carolina and Jon in New Jersey, the obituary said.

More information for Otsego families

The scholarship application process includes filing out a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which is a universal form
used to determined financial-aid needs for college.

Information
on the new scholarship program, filling out the FAFSA and other
scholarship programs available through the Otsego Public Schools
Foundation will be provided at a meeting for Otsego parents and students
at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, at Otsego High School.